PITTSBURGH -- Brandon Jackson, who had to wait for the 32nd game of his career with the Browns to finally carry the football, summed up the mood of the day perfectly in a locker room that emptied quickly.

About 20 minutes earlier Sunday, Coach Pat Shurmur got a hug from Steelers coach Mike Tomlin at midfield in frigid Heinz Field after the Steelers pounded the Browns, 24-10. It lasted longer than the obligatory handshake coaches usually exchange for the TV cameras. The unspoken message was they might never meet at midfield as head coaches again unless Shurmur gets a chance with another team. Everything points to Shurmur being fired Monday morning.

"Some guys shed a couple tears," Jackson said after leading the Browns with 54 yards rushing. "The journey we had together, the tough road and the ups and downs through this whole deal will be remembered. That's what the guys most appreciate about each other is sticking together and playing hard for each other."

If Sunday was indeed the end for Shurmur, his team played the way it did for most of the 32 games he coached the Browns. They fought, literally fought, and played hard to the end. Yet all Shurmur has to show is a 9-23 record. The Browns are 5-11 this season.

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The Steelers prevailed Sunday because two rookie receivers fumbled at critical times in Cleveland territory.

Cortez Allen poked the ball from Josh Gordon at the Cleveland 25 with 1 minute, 42 seconds left in the first half. Four plays later, Ben Roethlisberger zipped a pass to tight end Leonard Pope from the 1 for a 10-3 Steelers lead.

Thad Lewis, poised in his first NFL game and decisive in his passing, marched the team 80 yards on the Browns' first possession of the third quarter. He moved left to buy time on second-and-goal from the 7 and saw Greg Little cutting across the back of the end zone. Little gathered the ball in and kept both feet in bounds to tie the score, 10-10.

The Steelers answered with an 80-yard drive capped by Roethlisberger throwing a 9-yard touchdown pass to Antonio Brown. They put the game away on Big Ben's third touchdown pass of the day -- a 12-yard pass to Plaxico Burress to end a 27-yard, six-play drive with 3:20 to play.

The Steelers were working on a short field because Allen knocked the ball from rookie receiver Travis Benjamin, picked it up and ran 21 yards to the Browns 27. Benjamin thought Allen touched him while he was down when he slipped after a 13-yard gain. The play was reviewed but the call was not reversed.

"Once those turnovers started, we couldn't seem to stop the bleeding," linebacker D'Qwell Jackson said. "Defensively when that happens, you have to be able to rise to the occasion, and we couldn't keep 'em out of the end zone."

This is what separates professional sports from most jobs: Players are together through offseason conditioning, OTAs, June minicamp, training camp and practice for 16 regular season games. It is a grind. And then abruptly, it's over.

Even when a coaching change is not expected, the end of a season is emotional for players because they are so accustomed to the camaraderie of the locker room, when players are in their own little world. They know many different players will replace friends next season.

Joe Thomas, the Browns iron-man who has never missed a snap lining up at left tackle for six years, said he gets depressed when the season ends because he isn't in that team environment anymore.

Shurmur on Sunday made what is likely his last postgame speech to the team he has helped develop. He wants so much the chance to see the project through. He is still holding out hope because as of Sunday night he hadn't been told he was fired. In fact, owner Jimmy Haslam and CEO Joe Banner haven't told him anything "in quite some time," Shurmur said Sunday.

"To me, he was trying to hold back the tears," Jackson said. "He put everything into it. We were trying to do something that hadn't been done since 1988 (sweep the Steelers) and with everything else that's looming above his head, it's tough. He's in a tough spot. We'd run through a brick wall for him. It's just too bad we couldn't get a win for him."

Indeed, Shurmur looked teary-eyed when he walked into the interview room after his postgame locker room talk. Maybe the wind and cold were the reason, but maybe not.

"I was excited to play this football game," Shurmur said. "I thought we put together a week of practice and a plan where we could come out here and play winning football. That was my focus. I asked the players to dive in. Before the game, I asked them to spend three more hours together, doing what they love to do.

"What I would say at the end of the season is that the future is bright for that group of guys. I think the coaches that work with them are outstanding. That's what my thoughts are as this team gets ready for an offseason, just like 19 other teams."